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Bulgaria Moved as Bereaved Dad Makes Huge Donation for Cancer Kids

A wealthy Bulgarian businessman, whose little daughter died of cancer, is set to donate millions for building a new and modern hospital in Sofia for children suffering from the terrible disease.

The tragic story of the little girl named Lia and her father, who has made it imperative to remain anonymous, emerged from a transcript of the government's meeting last week and moved the whole country.

Lia was a promising talented ballet dancer, who was forced to bid adieu to the stage after being diagnosed with cancer at the age of 10.

She underwent treatment at some of the most prestigious hospitals in Greece and the United States, but when the disease reached a terminal stage, her father brought her back to Bulgaria.

Lia died at the age of 15 and had one final wish – she did not want any more children to die of cancer.

The tragic events left an incurable trauma on her father, who set up a foundation for saving children from cancer and named it after her late and beloved daughter.

Now he wants to donate BGN 5 M for constructing a new and modern hospital for children with cancer and his dream is about to come true.

The new hospital will be designed to meet the highest international standards in the treatment of children, suffering from cancer. It will be located in the campus of Lozenets hospital in the eponymous district in the capital Sofia, where Lia spent her last days.

"This will also make it possible for the news hospital to use the equipment and expertise of Lozenets hospital," explains Prof. Dragan Bobev, director of Pediatric oncohematology in Sofia, which is part of Isul hospital.

Lia's father started to help the hospital with renovation works and presents for the sick children before deciding to make the huge and unprecedented for Bulgaria donation.

Bulgarian cancer sufferers and their families often feel abandoned in their struggle to cope with the illness, both in terms of treatment and emotional support.

Unlike other European countries, whose health care systems do their best to fund extra services to support these people and their relatives through the darkest of times, those who have been diagnosed with cancer in Bulgaria face a chronic shortage of life-saving medicines.

Not to mention the lack of support they need to cope with the emotional turmoil of the illness, which is of crucial important when the cancer patients are children.